Achari Chicken Recipe

Achari Chicken is a classic North Indian dish of chicken marinated and cooked with pickle spices. The dish stands out for its spicy, tangy and earthy pickle-like flavors. My new updated recipe will give you the best Achari Chicken that’s full-flavored and super delicious.

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It tastes fabulous served over basmati rice or with flatbreads like roti, naan and parathas. Achari dishes are a staple in the households and North Indian restaurants. They can be made with paneer, aloo (potatoes), bhindi (okra), mixed vegetables and with meat like chicken or mutton.

About Achari Chicken

Achar is a Hindi word that translates to pickle. So Achari Chicken is chicken cooked with pickling spices like fenugreek seeds (methi), mustard seeds (rai), nigella seeds (kalonji), fennel seeds (saunf), dried red chilies, turmeric, cumin and coriander.

These spices are roasted and ground to make a pickle spice blend known as achari masala. This unique spice blend is the star of an achari dish. Like many other chicken curries this is not flavored with garam masala or a curry powder. So spices like cloves, cinnamon and star anise are not used here.

A simpler way to make this dish is to cook your chicken with tempered whole spices. But my version made with ground spices produces a finger-licking good curry with great robust flavors. Since the spices are slow roasted and freshly ground, they impart more pronounced flavors to the dish.

This spice blend can be made ahead and stored for a few months. It comes handy when you want to make achari curries and tikkas/ kebabs. However for ease of use, I have also given the amount of pre-ground spices you can use in this recipe. If you have store bought ground spices, feel free to use them. Since the store bought spices oxidize as they sit in the shelves longer, adjust the quantities to your preference.

Special features of Achari

Tangy flavor – A moderate amount of sour ingredient like amchur (dried mango powder), chaat masala or a real achar/ pickle is used to mimic the tangy fermented pickle flavor.

Curry base – Ingredients like onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic form the base of the curry. Yogurt enhances the tangy flavor and also adds some fats to the dish.

Stuffed chili peppers – There are versions where chili peppers are stuffed with the spices and simmered in the Achari Chicken. Though these stuffed chili peppers are a personal choice, they amp up your dish and takes it to a new level. Avoid using very hot chilies unless you want a super hot dish.

Usually whole or ground spices are stuffed in the chilies. Our various trials resulted in undercooked, hard, bitter and inedible spices, even after roasting & crushing them. So my version of stuffing has thoroughly cooked achari spices with the onion tomato yogurt masala. This is mixed with mango powder (amchur) or chaat masala or real pickle for a tart flavor, before stuffing the chilies.

I also love to pan-fry the stuffed chilies before throwing into the curry to further cook down and soften. This one extra step infuses great flavors, improves the texture and removes the raw flavor of chili peppers.

Similar recipes
Chicken Jalfrezi
Methi chicken
Tandoori chicken
Chicken vindaloo
Butter chicken

Expert Tips

• The whole spices especially the coriander seeds look like a lot but when the dish cooks down it results in a perfect sauce.
• If using mustard oil, heat until its smoky hot and reduce the heat to low.
• You may temper the yogurt before adding to the pan. Whisk yogurt well with a fork. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the cooked onion tomato achari masala. Later add it to the pan.
• This dish freezes well and the yogurt in the dish somewhat imparts a real pickle flavor to the chicken after freezing. Thaw it in the refrigerator (not at room temperature) before reheating.
• If you want real achar flavors, always add the achar after you turn off the stove.

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This recipe was first published in January 2020. Updated in May 2025.

Recipe Card

Achari Chicken Recipe

4.99 from 76 votes

This tangy, spicy & delicious chicken is cooked with pickling spices known as achari masala. Chili peppers are stuffed and simmered in the curry.

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Prep Time20 minutes minutes

Cook Time30 minutes minutes

Total Time50 minutes minutes

Servings4

AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

Achari masala

• ▢ 2 tablespoons coriander seeds (or 1 tbsp coriander powder)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cumin seeds (or ½ tbsp cumin powder)
• ▢ 1 to 1½ tablespoon fennel seeds (or ½ to ¾ tbsp fennel powder, read notes)
• ▢ ¼ tablespoon mustard seeds (or ¼ tbsp mustard powder)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds or ¼ tsp ground fenugreek)
• ▢ 2 dried red chilies (optional, less spicy variety)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (adjust to taste, can use up to 1½ tsp)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• ▢ ½ to ¾ teaspoon sea salt (more to adjust)

Other ingredients

• ▢ 1½ lbs. (750 grams) chicken (skinless, bone-in or bone-less, cut to 2 inch pieces or drumsticks)
• ▢ 3 to 4 tablespoons oil (neutral oil or mustard oil, divided 3+1, read notes)
• ▢ ½ to ¾ teaspoon kalonji (onion seeds) (omit if you do not have)
• ▢ 1 cup (120 grams) onions very finely chopped (1 medium)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or ¾ tbsp each grated)
• ▢ ¾ cup (135 grams) tomatoes pureed (2 small/ medium)
• ▢ 4 chili peppers (optional, to stuff)
• ▢ ⅓ cup (80 ml) plain yogurt (fresh curd)
• ▢ ½ cup (120 ml) hot water (more as needed)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon organic sugar (optional, to balance the flavor)
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon amchur (mango powder) or chaat masala
• ▢ 1 to 2 tablespoons mango achar/pickle (optional, use for real achari flavor)

To garnish

• ▢ 1 tablespoon coriander leaves (optional)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger juliennes

Instructions

Make Achari Masala

• ▢
  To a small spice grinder, add coriander seeds, red chilies, cumin, fennel seeds, methi seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, salt and red chili powder. Make a fine powder.

How to make Achari Chicken

• ▢
  Marinate chicken with 1 tablespoon of the prepared achari masala and half of the chaat masala or amchur. If it is too dry, add a splash of oil. Cover and rest aside until you prepare the rest.
• ▢
  On a medium flame, heat oil in a pan/pot and add kalonji. When they begin to sizzle, add onions and saute on a medium heat, until golden for 8 to 9 mins.
• ▢
  Stir in the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute, until aromatic. Reduce the flame and stir in the achari masala. Saute for 1 to 2 mins, until aromatic. (If the pan is dry, add a tablespoon of oil.)
• ▢
  Add the tomatoes and saute till the masala becomes thick.
• ▢
  Lower the flame and incorporate the yogurt into the pan. Increase the heat to medium and saute for 5 to 7 mins, until the fats begin to appear on top.
• ▢
  If using chili peppers to stuff, reserve 2 tablespoons of this cooked masala in a small bowl.
• ▢
  Add the marinated chicken to the pan and saute on a medium high heat for 5 to 6 mins. Pour hot water (start with lower amount). Mix well and cook covered for 10 mins.
• ▢
  While the chicken cooks, slit each chili pepper lengthwise, keeping the stalk & the edges intact. Deseed for low heat. Stir in rest of the amchur or chaat masala to the reserved achari onion tomato masala. Taste test to adjust salt. Stuff this into the chili peppers. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small pan and fry them until blistered, for 4 to 5 mins.
• ▢
  When the chicken is half cooked, add the stuffed chili peppers and push them slightly into the curry. Cover and cook until the chicken is fully cooked through and the chilies wilt/ soften completely. (It takes me 20 mins to cook the bone-in chicken)
• ▢
  Turn off and taste test to adjust salt or add sugar. If you feel the need sprinkle more chaat masala or amchur or mango achar over the achari chicken. Garnish with ginger juliennes.
• ▢
  Sprinkle coriander leaves before serving. Serve achari chicken with basmati rice, parathas, naan or tandoori roti.

Notes

1. I use 1½ tablespoon fennel seeds however if you don’t prefer too much fennel flavor, cut down to your preference.
2. If you are using boneless chicken, cut down the cook time and also the liquid. Add the stuffed chilies when your chicken is half done.
3. Your chili peppers should be completely cooked (not mushy) by the time your chicken is cooked through. I usually add them half way at 10 mins mark and let them cook for another 10 mins until soft. You need to adjust this timing depending on the kind of your chilies and the size of the chicken pieces.
4. I prefer to pan-fry chili peppers for a few minutes before adding to the curry. This removes the raw flavors from the chilies. However if you don’t care simply throw them into the curry.
5. If you are using mustard oil, heat it until smoky hot and reduce to low before cooking.
6. You can also pan-fry the chicken in a skillet/pan for 5 to 6 mins before adding to the curry. This removes the poultry smell if any. I have tested both and it is a personal preference.
7. Use thick yogurt and avoid low fat version as it can easily split.
8. You can also add half of a large capsicum to this recipe. Blend it with the tomatoes.
9. If you are using achar, start with less chili powder (1 tsp) in your curry. Else it can become too hot.
10. More tips and tricks in the post.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts

Achari Chicken Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 447 Calories from Fat 288

% Daily Value*

Fat 32g49%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Trans Fat 0.2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 7g

Monounsaturated Fat 15g

Cholesterol 93mg31%

Sodium 447mg19%

Potassium 734mg21%

Carbohydrates 16g5%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 26g52%

Vitamin A 1302IU26%

Vitamin C 107mg130%

Calcium 153mg15%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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